Plate spring



Marchs, 1940. T RWEBER 2,192,391

PLATE SPRING Filed May 17, 1959 BV A ORNEY Patented Mar. 5, '1940 `PLATESPRING Theodore R. Weber, '-Latrobe, Pa., assignor to American.Locomotive Company, New York, N. Y., a corporationof New YorkApplication May 17, 1939, serial No. 274,157

l 2 claims. (c1. 267-54) The present invention relates to plate springsand more particularly .to spring endl clips therefor. j

An object of the present 'invention is to provide a spring end clip fora spring hanger which may be assembled with and disassembled from `aspring without lin any way vdisturbing the plate assemblage. i t,

A further object is to provide, yin a'clip as aforesaid, meanspreventing the los'sfrom the spring of the end portion of the main plateor of one of the other plates associated withthe clip, if such endportion should break off in service.

lA further object is to provide a clip having a I liner or wear'platevfor supporting the spring` hanger. e v

vOther and further objects of and advantages achieved by the presentinvention will be ,ap-y parent from the following description of anap-ypended hereto'.

. Referring to the drawing forming a part of proved embodimentthereof,'and the claims apf this application, Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a Ila() 2. Each of the plates is speared at its ends. The

main plate 3 has an elongated orifice 4 in each of its end portions,each Aof the orifices 4being spaced from the adjacent end of the spring.

The second platef has a similar but slightly longer elongated oriiice 6disposed in alignment with each of the oriiices 4, and the'third lplateI has a shorter orifice 8 in alignment with each of the orifices 6. Eachset of `three aligned orifices forms a receptacle 9 for a purpose laterto be described. l v

A spring end clip IIJ is carried by the spring at each of its endportions. Each clip consists of a body portion II having a curved outerface l2 andl a flat inner facey I3. Two longitudinally spaced flanges I4extend outwardly from the body portion II, each having a groove I 5, thegrooves being opposed to each other. liner or Wear plate I6 is disposedon the face I2 and'- is held thereon against Vertical and longi-vtudinal displacement movementv by the grooves l5, in each of which anend of the liner I6 ts.

' tacle 9 and the inner face I3 is opposed to the the part 22 and acotter pin 2li, disposed therein, fprevents vertical -displacementmovement of the y lfaces 26 and 21.

A curved The liner is held against transverse displacement movement bythe hanger (not shown) when the clip is in use. When the liner becomesworn, it may be replaced simplyby sliding out the old liner and slidingin anew one.

A lug I'l'pr'ojects inwardly from the face I3.

It includes an elongated major part I8 and a smaller part I9 of the samewidth as the part I8. The cornerformed by the junctionof lthe y lug withlthe inner face I3 is rounded out by a 10:

.y fracture-resisting groove n extending completely p around the lug.When the clip is assembled withv the spring, the lug is disposed withinthe recepouter face 2D :of the main plate. A resilient sheet of material2| is disposed between the faces I3 and`20 so that there is no hardsteel connection between the clip and'main plate.

The major part I8 has working clearance in the orifice Land-itselongation prevents turning 20 of the lclip relative to lthe spring. Thepart I8 i hasv greaterlclearance in the orifice t, which allows freeflexing of the springv without danger of the clip interfering therewith;The part I9 is disposed in the o'rce `8 and has apart 22 projecting.therefrom beyond the inner face of the plate 1, which plate extends ateither end beyond the ends of the adjacent plate inward therefrom in theusual manner. An orice 23 is formed in clip relative to the spring.

, Each clip further comprises two lugs 25 projecting from the inner facei3, one from each of the corners of theclip', which, when the clip isassembled` with the spring, are adjacent an end thereof.l The lugs 25are shown projecting substantially the thickness of two plates. Eachlugis' triangular in shape and has a longitudinal Y, face 26 in linewith a longitudinal'edge of the clip, a transverse face 2l in line witha transverse edge `of the clip and an-inclined face 28 connecting thefaces 2S and"2'i, the corners 4being rounded at the junctions of thevface 28 with` the AThe ends of the vspring plates are speared, as

e aforesaid, providing at the end of each plate, a

pair of inclined edges 2S. The main and second v plates of the springare the same length and their edgesZS coincide. When the lclipv isassembled with the spring, a lug 25 isdisposed on either 50 side of thespeared ends adjacent thereto ofthe main and second plates, with thefaces 428 adjacent respectively the edges 29 of the main and secondplates.` s

The'purposeof the lugs 25 is as follows:` Although the present clip is`designed so that it Will not injure the spring end due-to the loadtransmitted from, the clipto the spring, there will be ,times whena mainplatewill break-across its orifice 4. If there were no lugs 25 present,the l broken portion would be free to move outward untilit dropped fromthe spring. This would result in the clip tilting and only beingpartially harm'results from thebreaking of the mainplate. This featureof the presentinvention allows the use of a spring having a brokenmainplate end until it is convenient to replace the' mainplate, A

of furtherv injury to the springv` without danger or clip.l

Thebroken portion is, of.' course, held against lateral` displacement bythe lugs-.and from dropf ping vertically downward by the second plate 5adjacent it. If the second platefend shouldbreak it wi11-a1so be held inplace b ykt1ie 1ugs 25 and the third plate 'I' adjacent thereto.

The speared spring ends and lugs 25 afford Ia convenient combination foraccomplishing the aforesaid feature ofthe invention. However.,

various other means may beemployed to accom- C For instance, iftheplateplish the same results. ends were square, a ange projecting from theedge of the clip so that it overlapped the edge of the. mainplate,lwould prevent outward longitudinal movement. of a broken end portion.lThis langecould also be employedin the case of a speared main plate ifdesired.

While there hasbeen hereinbefore described an approved embodiment of.this invention, it.

However; breakage ordinarily only occurs in the main plate..

2,192,391" v y will be understood that many and various changes andmodifications inform, arrangement of parts and details of constructionthereof may be Amade without departing from the spirit of the -invenvtion yand that all such changes and modifications as fall Withinthescope rvof the appended claimsy vare contemplated as a part vof thisinvention.

The invention claimed and desired to be secured byLetters Patent is;

l. A plate spring' having ya pluralityy of con, secutive platesincluding an outer plate,l prtn'l'ided each ata corresponding endportion with an opening, said openings being combined to form areceptacle having amouth open to the exterior at the outer face of jsaidouter plate, said outerv plate,v being-Tout away at its cornersproviding clip-abutting edges; a clip having a body providedwithfan-outerfa'cea'nd. an inner face, a lug prof.` vlecting ,from saidinner face', said body inner.

face being. disposedy lopposite said outer plate/ outer face andsaidlugextending into and hav- 1 inga part projecting beyond said receptacle,said lug being insertible in and removable from said receptacle throughsaidgmouth, and a pair of.'

lugs projecting from said inner faceA at opposite said outer platetheretoward; and means coacting with saidfpart to secure said cliptosaid spring.v

2.' A plate spring having a plurality 'of' conj secutive` platesyincluding an outerv and] a spring hangerclip carried bysaid spring at.van end thereof, having` kan outer race, `and :anV inner face-inengagement with said outer plate,

and a Wear plate disposedcn said outer. face, said -cliphavinglongitudinally y'spacedfflanges vengag:-` v Aing opposite ends vof saidwear plate and holding l said wear plate against displacement, said weari plate being removable from said clip for replace-, -l ment by slidingtransverse movement.

25 sides of said clip, one'adjaceht each of saidv edges,v 'n 1preventingmovernent of the` adjacent' portion .of

